Girlfriends Forever!

Feb.26th-Mar.27th 2011

Venue:Tokyo Wondersite Hongo

Artists: Erina Matsui,Hanako Murakami

Kei Imazu,Kao Kanamori(Theatre Products),Toko Kodaira,Toeko Tatsuno,Michiko Tsuda, Tomoko Nagai, Yuki Nakamura,Megumi Matsubara, Momu & No Es

https://twitter.com/girlfriendsfrv

Why are there so many female students at art school, but (apparently) only a few of them eventually go on to work as artists? In “Girlfriends Forever!”, Erina Matsui, an exceptionally active young artist, and Hanako Murakami (born like Matsui in 1984), known for her conceptual works, introduce a broad range of contemporary works of art. Featuring also artists with a rather long career, the exhibition was at the same time designed as an occasion for working out a blueprint of the female artist of tomorrow. In contrast to the image of an eccentric and glamorous artist’s work, the reality of working over a long period of time is no picnic. In this exhibition, the artists interpret these two aspects as ”girlfriends at noon and at night”, and turn the top floor of Tokyo Wonder Site Hongo into a girls’ space that they fill completely with pieces of art. In addition to pictures on the walls, displays include videos, furniture, and other items that stress the playful nature of an exhibition curated by artists.

A tea party and talk session with the participating artists is planned to take place during the exhibition period as an additional opportunity for exchange across generations and genres. 

Organizer's Profile 

Erina Matsui:

Born 1984 in Okayama. ”Ebi-chili daisuki”, which was awarded a grand prize at an art prep school festival, appeared in the form of the school’s own advertisement in art magazines OR in an art magazine, and won a Gold Prize at GEISAI #6. Later participated in the group show “J’en reve” at the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, and held her first solo exhibition ”My Cosmo” at Yamamoto Gendai in 2007. Following another solo show at the Joan Miró Foundation (Barcelona) in November of the same year, in 2009 she participated in the Moscow Biennale, and continues to work on an international scale.

Hanako Murakami:

Born 1984. After studying art at the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Letters, finished the Graduate School of Film and New Media, Tokyo University of the Arts. Participated in the Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial in 2006 and 2009, and took part in a domestic artist exchange program at TWS Aoyama: Creator-in-residence between May 2009 and March 2010. Has been showing conceptual artworks revolving around made-up characters, such as an engineer who suffered a loss of memory, or a girl that offers the viewer a house destroyed by fire.